Circular-roofed structure



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' C. OU NGHAM, J1. OIRGULA FED STRUCTURE. No. 481,347. -Patented Aug. 23, 1892.

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G. CUNNINGHAM, Jr. GIRGULAR ROOFED STRUCTURE.

No. 481,347. Patented Aug. 23, 1892-.

NITED STATES "PATENT FFICEL CHRISTOPHER CUNNINGHAM, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEl/V YORK.

CIRCULAR-ROOFED STRUCTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,347, dated August 23, 1892.

Application filed March 30. 1892. Serial No. 427,029. (No modal.)

T0 aZZ w7wm it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CHRISTOPHER CUNN1NG- HAM, J r., of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and nsefnl Improvement in Cir-- enlar Tanks and Other Circular-Roofed Structures, of Which the following is a'specification.

My invention relates especially t0 oil-tanks, gas-holders, and other circnlar-roofed structures of iron of large diameter; and its object is to obtain the necessary strength in the roofs of such structures With the least practicable weight of material.

To enable others skilled in the art to carry out my invention, I Will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of the roof and the upper parts of the side walls of a circnlar tank embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the roof-frame corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a vertical sectional view, on a larger seale than Fig. 1, of one-half of one member or section of the roofframe. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, in the line ac 03 of Fig. 3, of a portion of the framing; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of what is herein termed the tie-beam plate.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Adesignates the side wall of the tank,which is intended to be built up of iron plates, riveted together in the usnal manner.

B is an npright post, which may be of iron tubing, erected in the center of the tank upon the bottom thereof or upon any suitable foundation therein and extending from said bottom or foundation u p very nearly t0 a level With the top of the side walls A. On this center post B is placed aconcentrie circular plate 0, hereinafter termed the tie-beam plate, the upper end of said post being fianged for the support of said plate. Above this tiebeam plate, direetly over the center post B, is a post D, which may be termed the kingpost, the said post being represented as fianged at its lower end [0 correspond With the fiange of the center post B and being flanged at its upper end for the support of a concentric oircular plate E, hereinafter termed the erownplate. The king-post and the center post are riveted or bolted together throngh their corresponding flanges, and the tie-beam plate is by the same means secnred between them. The crown-plate, which is represented slightly larger than the tiebeam plate, is also riveted or bolted to the fianged upper end of the king'post D. The npper edge of the wallA is snrrounded by an angleiron baud F, which projeots clownward in the form of a fiange and whieh is hereinafter termed the wall-plate.

G G are rafters, which I have hereinafter termed the main rafters, which are arranged radially between the crown-plate E and the wall-plate F and having their inner ends supported upon and riveted to the crown-plate and their outer ends supported upon the wallplate. These rafters have an upward slope from the wall-plates toward the crown-plate corresponding With the intended pitch of the roof of the tank. Between the adjacent radial main rafters G G are placed and secured a series of pnrlins K, which serve to support the inner ends of short radial rafters H, the outer ends of which are supported upon the wall-plate F. These short radial rafters are arranged intermediately with the main ratters G and have a corresponding slope and they are riveted to the purlins and to the wall-plate.

I I are tie-beams arranged horizontally and radially between the plate 0 and the side walls A, one of said tie-beams being nnder each main rafter G. The inner ends of these tie-beams are supported upon and riveted to the plate 0, and their onter ends are riveted, as shown at a a, to what are termed gussetplates J, which are riveted, as shown at 1) b, to the side walls A, and also riveted, as shown at 0 0, to the rafters G. The said gnssetplates nnite the side walls, the main rafters, and the tie-beams. These gnsset-plates might be of heavy ordinary angle-iron; but I have represented them as made of plate-iron, one edge of which isfiurned at an angle to form a flange d,to be secured by the rivets b to the side wall A, such a plate providing for the longer and broader connection with the rafters G and tie-beams I than ordinary angleiron would provide for.

Between each rafter G and the corresponding tie-beam below it are arranged and secured uprights,which may be termed queenposts L. Between these queenposts, the crownplate E and tie-beam plate 0, between the said qneen-posts and the gnssetplatee J, and between the said qneen-posts themselves are arranged crossing diagonal braces M M, connecting tl1e rafters with their correspondin'g tiabeams. Between the adjacent tie-beams G are arranged a series of horizontal braces N.

The rafters, the tie-beams, the tneen-posts, the purlins, and the horizontal braces above described may be of iron bars of any snitable transverse sectional form; but I have preferred to make them all of angle-iron. The diagonal braces1nay also be of transverse sectional form; butlpreferto make them of fiat bar-iron. The riveted or bolted joints between the several parts may be made in any manner common t0 structures of such iron bars asarehereused. Additionalstabilitymay be given to the structure by snrrounding the center post B with a group of not less than' three other supporting-posts npon which the tie-beam plate 0 may l'est and receive additional support beyond that given by the center post. This is illnsrraced in Fig. 5,wherein three such additional posts 0 0 are represented in dotted outline.

What I claim as my invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The eombination, in a circular tank or roofed structure, of a central roofsupporting post B, a central king-post D, erected above said post B, a crown-plate E, concentric with said posts, snpported on said king-post, a concentric tie-beam plate 0 between said central supporting-post, a. flanged wall-plale F, surrounding the side walls of the structure, inclined radial rafters G G, supported by said crown-plate and wallplate, and radial tiebeams I, connecting the walls of the structure with said concentric tiebeam plate C, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the central post B, the side walls A, the central kingpost D, the concentric crownplate E, and tic-beaux plate 0, the flan ged wallplate F, the radial inclined main rafters G, connected With the concentric crown-plate E, the radial tie-beams connected with the concentric plate 0, the fianged gusset-plates J, connecting both the rafters G and the tie-beams 0 with the side walls A, the pnrlins K, connecting the main rafters G, and the intermediate or radial rafters H, connecting the purlins K With the flanged wall-plate, all substantially as herein set forth.

CHRISTOPHER CUNNINGIIAM, JB.

Witnesses FREDK. HAYNES, GEORGE BARRY. 

